Cycling: Comeback king Cavendish streaks home again

VILLARS-LES-DOMBES, France: MarkCavendish’s revival was complete on Saturday as the Briton won his 30th Tour de France stage in a high-speed sprint finish.

The 31-year-old Briton took the 14th stage from Montelimar to Parc des Oiseaux in a dominant performance for his fourth stage victory at this Tour alone.

And while many have suggested it has been track training ahead of next month’s Olympics that has been behind his return to form, Cavendish points out greater maturity as the main difference.

“I’ve been refreshed by riding on the track again but the key point is that I’m more patient than last year,” he said.

“We’ve seen it today: following my instinct, I would have jumped earlier but when I saw Marcel Kittel taking the lead with only four guys two kilometers before the end, I understood it would kill him ultimately. “I just had to wait for him to lose some speed.”

Step by step, the Manx Missile is creeping up on Belgian legend Eddy Merckx and the all-time record of 34 stage wins.

But for a man who was written off in many quarters after seeing chief German rival Kittel eclipse him, Cavendish proved perhaps once and for all that he is the greatest sprinter of all time.

Clear win

The long, straight finish at the bird sanctuary at Villars-les-Dombes seemed tailor-made for the big, powerful Kittel, a winner of four stages at both the 2013 and 2014 editions of the Tour.

Yet Cavendish darted out from behind Kittel’s wheel and streaked past him to take a clear win.

He swerved a touch at the end and Kittel sat up shaking his fist in frustration, but in truth he had been well beaten.

The race jury deliberated for a short time, but then decided Cavendish had done nothing wrong.

“His action influenced the result. Whatever I think is fair cannot be the same as the jury,” complained Kittel, 28.

The German took fifth with Norway’s Alexander Kristoff in second and Peter Sagan of Slovakia third.

Kristoff had no complaints about the result.

“Cavendish is really aero and fast, so I knew that he would be difficult to beat today,” he said. “I’m happy to finish second but for sure I was hoping to win. Cavendish is just faster right now.”